The Giants have several Ohio State defenders on their radar for the 2026 NFL Draft, and linebacker Sonny Styles is emerging as a serious option at fifth overall. According to NJ.com’s Art Stapleton, Styles met with the Giants on Tuesday night at the NFL Combine, and the fit makes too much sense to ignore.
Adding Styles would give Dennard Wilson the versatile, communicative linebacker his aggressive defense demands. The 21-year-old stands 6’5″ and 243 pounds, offering a rare combination of size, speed, and coverage ability that translates immediately to the NFL. If the Giants pull the trigger, Bobby Okereke would likely be released, freeing up $9 million to allocate elsewhere on the roster.
Film Study: What Stands Out Immediately
The first thing that jumps off the tape is Styles’ tackling precision. He finished the 2025 season with a 2.2% missed tackle rate, missing just one tackle all season. That came in the final game against Miami. For context, he posted an 18.4% miss rate in 2024 during his first year at linebacker after converting from safety. The improvement is staggering and shows a player who refined his technique through coaching and repetition.
Styles played 663 snaps this past season, collecting 15 pressures, 71 tackles, and operating as the communication hub for Ohio State’s defense. He wore the green dot, calling out plays and adjustments pre-snap. That leadership quality is what John Harbaugh values most. Look at what he had in Baltimore with Roquan Smith as the primary MIKE linebacker. Smith made that defense hum because he processed information quickly and got the entire front seven aligned. Styles offers that same cerebral element.
Coverage Ability: The Modern Linebacker Template
Styles’ background as a safety bleeds through in coverage. His 86.9 PFF coverage grade ranked 11th among 804 college linebackers in 2025, and his 5.6% negatively graded play rate in coverage mirrors Fred Warner’s collegiate marks at BYU. That’s the comp PFF is using, and it’s not hyperbole when you watch the tape.
He moves fluidly in space, maintains good sight lines on quarterbacks, and uses his 6’5″ frame to disrupt throwing lanes. His length allows him to play bigger than his listed weight, and he’s comfortable carrying tight ends down the seam or working horizontally across the field in zone coverage. Wilson’s defense asks linebackers to handle multiple responsibilities, from blitzing to covering the slot to setting the edge against the run. Styles checks every box.
Against Indiana, he showed the ability to mirror slot receivers on crossing routes while also filling gaps aggressively in the run game. That versatility is what separates him from traditional thumper linebackers who can’t survive in third-down packages. The Giants need someone who can stay on the field for all three downs, and Styles’ safety background makes that realistic from Week 1.
Run Defense and Processing Speed
The Giants gave up 133.2 rushing yards per game last season, ranking 25th in the league. Styles’ presence would immediately address that. His run defense grade of 87.8 ranked 51st among college linebackers, and his average depth of tackle was just 1.9 yards downfield. He diagnoses plays quickly, takes proper angles, and finishes with proper technique.
What makes him valuable is his trigger speed. He doesn’t hesitate when reading run fits, and his closing burst allows him to scrape over the top or fill the A-gap depending on the blocking scheme. Wilson runs a multiple-front defense that requires linebackers to process information quickly and react without wasted movement. Styles’ experience in Ohio State’s NFL-style system under Matt Patricia means he’s already been coached to think at that level.
Scheme Fit With Dennard Wilson
Wilson’s defenses thrive on physicality and versatility. He wants defenders who can play multiple roles and aren’t limited by positional constraints. Styles can align as the MIKE linebacker, walk out to cover the slot, or rush the passer on creeper blitzes. That flexibility allows Wilson to disguise coverages and create confusion for opposing quarterbacks.
The Giants already invested heavily in their pass rush with Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and still have Kayvon Thibodeaux for now. Adding Styles at linebacker gives Wilson the chess piece he needs in the middle of the defense to complement those edge rushers. When Burns and Carter are collapsing the pocket, Styles can clean up the mess in the run game or drop into coverage to take away the quarterback’s checkdown.
Releasing Okereke would save $9 million, and the production upgrade would be significant. Okereke is a solid veteran, but Styles offers a higher ceiling with his athleticism and coverage ability. The Giants are building around Jaxson Dart on offense, and adding impact defenders like Styles allows the defense to keep pace while the offense develops.
Styles isn’t just a fit for what Wilson wants to do. He’s the type of foundational piece Harbaugh demands at the linebacker position. Smart, physical, versatile, and capable of playing at a high level from day one. If the Giants are serious about fixing their run defense and adding a communicator who can operate Wilson’s defense at full speed, Styles should certainly be in consideration at 5th overall.